Roxanne, Roxanne! The Roxanne Shante Biopic Scores Big at Sundance

Roxanne, Roxanne! The Roxanne Shante Biopic Scores at Sundance

Roxanne Shante and Ms. Nia Long Who Plays Shante's Mother Ms. Peggy in the Film.
EXCLUSIVE: After an all-night bidding battle, Neon is near to closing a deal for Roxanne Roxanne, the Michael Larnell-directed film that yesterday also had Amazon, Lionsgate and Miramax vying for North American rights in a deal that reached near $3 million. This would be the second Sundance title for Neon, the upstart distribution shingle formed by former RADiUS co-head Tom Quinn and Alamo Drafthouse’s Tim League. Sellers expected Neon to come out buying, and it didn’t disappoint. It will go home with two titles and was in the mix for several more, and it was the new buyer that sellers I spoke with were most impressed by. Neon also acquired North American rights to Ingrid Goes West. WME Global is putting the finishing touches on the Roxanne Roxanne deal.

PREVIOUS EXCLUSIVE, WEDNESDAY, 1:53 PM: Most buyers and sellers are back from snowy Park City, but the deal-making continues. There are four distributors vying for Roxanne Roxanne, the Michael Larnell-directed pic that premiered January 22 at Sundance and stars Chanté Adams, Mahershala Ali, Nia Long, Elvis Nolasco, Kevin Phillips, and Shenell Edmonds. The bidding is near $3 million for North American rights, with Amazon, Lionsgate, Miramax and Neon in the mix right now.
The film is set in the world of battle emcees in 1980s New York, where a 14-year-old girl from the Queensbridge projects has the chance to help her family by becoming a hip-hop legend. The pic is produced by Nina Yang Bongiovi (Fruitvale Station,Dope), Mimi Valdes (Hidden Figures, Dope), Forest Whitaker (Dope) and Pharrell Williams (Hidden Figures,Dope). WME Global is selling it.